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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29066526">It’s Just Blood</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlycryptid/pseuds/ghostlycryptid'>ghostlycryptid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Creepypasta - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Fluff, Gen, Gender Dysphoria, Hurt/Comfort, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Menstruation, One Shot, Platonic Relationships, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Trans Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:54:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29066526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlycryptid/pseuds/ghostlycryptid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben finally came out to Jeff as transgender and Jeff was very accepting and supportive. That makes life easier for Ben, right? Well, not exactly. Especially when a certain time of the month rolls around. </p><p>This is not Jeff x Ben</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeffrey Woods | Jeff the Killer &amp; Ben (BEN Drowned)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>It’s Just Blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Yo, Glitch, you awake?" A quiet voice spoke.</p><p>Ben slowly opened his eyes and was greeted to the sight of his best friend standing a few feet away from his bed. Jeff was shirtless and wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, indicating he had gotten up and out of bed not too long ago. He appeared to have been halfway through changing when Ben decided to wake, his hair relatively unkempt due to the inevitable bedhead that he suffered from every morning. The cyber ghost rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked up at the killer, smiling.</p><p>"Morning Jeff." Ben said in a low voice, still quite tired. </p><p>"Hey!" The killer said, smiling. "Sorry if I woke you up, I didn't actually mean to. You started moving and I just wanted to see if you were awake or not so I could get changed n' shit." </p><p>"'S fine." Ben mumbled quietly. "I was only half-asleep anyway." He let out a yawn, stretching his arms out to each side of him.</p><p>"Well, if you wanna sleep more I can always just head into the bathroom and finish up." Jeff offered.</p><p>"No, no, it's fine! I'm awake." Ben replied, brushing his hair out of his eyes with one hand. "So... what's the plan for today?" </p><p>"Honestly? I dunno yet." Jeff said as he went through his wardrobe, trying to find a shirt. "I do know that I wanna go on a kill spree tonight, that's for sure. But as for the rest of the day? I have no damn clue what I wanna do." He finally produced a black t-shirt with the words 'Dicks, Drugs, Debutantes - my holy trinity.' printed on it. He closed the wardrobe and then began heading for the door.</p><p>"I actually am gonna go finish up in the bathroom - I gotta take a leak anyways." He said. "Lemme know if you come up with anything I or we could do today 'cause I got nothin'." </p><p>Ben smiled at his friend. "I will, Joker."</p><p>Jeff nodded towards him once and then left for the bathroom. After he left, Ben sat up, the covers and blankets still covering his body. He scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion and discomfort once he did so. He was now aware of a dull pain in his abdomen, not a 'god please kill me' kind of pain, but a pain that was enough to warrant concern and immense discomfort. He pressed a hand to his stomach, trying to think of what would cause an ache like this. He started to move his legs to sit criss cross on the bed and immediately felt something that made his heart drop. He stopped moving in an instant, eyes widening.</p><p>
  <i>Oh no.</i>
</p><p>Ben looked down, afraid to move the blankets and confirm what he really, really didn't want to be there. He could feel his breathing grow heavy as he began to put two and two together. <i>Please, no... not now. Not here. </i> </p><p>He took a deep breath in, closed his eyes, and lifted the covers up and away from his lap, not quite exposing his entire legs but exposing enough. Ben opened his eyes.</p><p>There was a fresh bloodstain. </p><p>His heart sank at the sight, looking down in between his legs. Yep, the inner thighs of his pants were covered too. It looked like it had started either in the middle of the night or sometime this morning while Ben was still asleep, for there was a pretty large amount of it. It didn't completely cover the sheets, it wasn't that big, but it definitely wouldn't go unnoticed. </p><p> <i>No no no no no no, why is it early?! </i> </p><p>Being a trans guy, Ben was usually very good at keeping track of his cycle in order to prevent things like this from happening. That way less people would find out and make fun of him. The less people that knew, the better he felt about his identity. This time, however, shark week had decided to come a whole week earlier than usual. He had not planned this, this was not how today was supposed to go, he shouldn't-!</p><p>His thoughts were interrupted by a knock, followed by the bedroom door opening.</p><p>Ben quickly threw the blanket back over his legs, panicking as a now dressed Jeff came through the door. </p><p>"I forgot my hoodie." He explained, heading towards the wardrobe. He suddenly stopped walking and stood in place for about half a second before turning to look at Ben, a curious expression on his face. </p><p>"Are you okay?" He asked, glancing up and down at the cyber ghost.</p><p> <i>Fuck, what am I supposed to tell him?! </i> Ben thought, upset. <i>I can't just say "Hey, sorry, I bled all over my sheets because of the stupid female body I was born in!" God, that'd be so embarrassing! </i> His mind raced as he tried to come up with a solution. It didn't help that the cramps in his abdomen were gradually getting worse as time went on. </p><p>"I'm fine, Jeff." He replied, inwardly cringing as his voice cracked on the word 'fine.' </p><p>Jeff raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Cause not to sound, y'know, but ya look like you saw a ghost!" He said, laughing at his own joke. </p><p>Ben looked down at his lap, letting his hair fall in front of his eyes. "I'm okay. Really." </p><p>Jeff's smile faded. He eyed the cyber ghost carefully, walking closer to the bed. Ben tensed up when he moved closer, praying to God or Luna or whatever higher being existed that he would just leave so he could clean up his mess and deal with it on his own. </p><p>Jeff stopped once he was right next to Ben. He placed his hands on his hips, silently studying him. </p><p>"You're lying." He said bluntly. </p><p>"No I'm not, Joker. Just leave me alone. Please." Ben said, refusing to look up at him. Jeff crossed his arms and fell silent, staying put. Once Ben realized that Jeff wasn't going anywhere until he got a truthful answer, he finally glanced up at him. </p><p>"Jeff, I'm fine. I'm just..." He paused mid-sentence to place a hand back over his abdomen, which had really started to hurt during their interaction. "Still tired from earlier, that's all." </p><p>Jeff bent down to look at him closer, worry drawing over his features. "Ya sure? You look kinda pale. And I know that face, ya look like something's really bothering you." He bent down on one knee so that he was now semi eye-level with the blonde, who frowned and looked away. </p><p>"Ben, c'mon. Talk to me. Is it 'cause I woke you up?" Jeff asked, genuine concern filling his voice. </p><p>"...No, no, it's..." Ben paused again. <i>He's gonna think you're disgusting... </i> "It's not that." </p><p>"Then what is it?" </p><p>Ben bit his lip, his eyes beginning to water slightly. He did not want Jeff to deal with this. This was his mess, his responsibility. Not his friend's. </p><p>"It's... it's just..." </p><p>"Just what?"</p><p>"It's... no, nothing, i-it's too embarrassing." Ben spoke. His hands were now starting to shake due to his upped anxiety. He looked down into his lap, afraid he had already said too much. </p><p>"Ben, look at me for a sec." </p><p>Ben hesitantly looked towards Jeff, pulling the blanket closer to himself. </p><p>"Whatever it is, you can tell me. I won't judge ya. Doesn't matter what the fuck it is, I just wanna know you're okay because one, I know when you’re lying and I hate it when you lie about this type of shit. Especially if it’s bothering you. And two, not gonna lie, you look kinda pained. So tell me about whatever is bugging you. Okay?" </p><p>Ben paused for a while before nodding slowly. Jeff gave him a small smile. </p><p>"Alright. Now what's happenin' Glitch?" </p><p>Ben hesitated, opening his mouth to speak before biting his bottom lip once again, more anxious than before.</p><p>"I-I... Ben started, his voice trembling. </p><p>"...I s-started it." He mumbled, barely above a whisper. </p><p>Jeff looked at him, confused. "Started what?"</p><p><i>Of course.</i> Ben thought. Knowing he definitely couldn't just say it or hide it anymore, he took a moment to mentally prepare himself before grabbing onto the blanket and moving it away from his legs, showing Jeff the bloodstain on the bed. He turned away from him when he did so, not wanting to see his best friend's disgusted reaction. </p><p>Jeff's eyes widened first with shock, then confusion, then realization at what he was looking at. He let out a soft gasp. "Ohhhh..."</p><p>"I'm sorry..." Ben said quietly, a couple tears beginning to fall. </p><p>"Woah, hey, no, don't be sorry!" Jeff exclaimed.  "It's okay!"</p><p>Ben sniffled. "You're not mad?" He asked, turning to look at Jeff with surprise and confusion. </p><p>"Mad? Why the hell would I be mad? Shark week started. So what?" </p><p>Ben blinked. "But... I got it everywhere..." </p><p>"Ben, seriously, it's okay. It's just blood." </p><p>"B-But-!"</p><p>"Ben." Jeff started, cutting him off. "I'm a serial killer. I see blood every day. It’s fine."</p><p>He gently placed a hand on the cyber ghost's shoulder, shooting him a comforting smile. "Your body has zero control over that, and that is perfectly okay. So what ya stained a sheet or two? You didn't know that was gonna happen!" </p><p>Ben fell silent, staring at the killer with wide tear-filled eyes. </p><p>"I mean it, dude - it's okay. This doesn't make me think any less of ya." Jeff spoke, reaching up and playfully ruffling the blonde's hair slightly. "Now how about you go get yourself cleaned up, huh? I can take care of the sheets." </p><p>Ben blinked again, tears involuntarily falling out of his eyes as he did so. "I-I... you don't have to, I did this, you can just-"</p><p>"Glitch, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist." Jeff interrupted. "And if ya say 'you did this' one more time, I'm only gonna keep reminding you that this is out of your control. Don't worry about it, alright?" </p><p>Before Ben knew it, he was full on crying in front of Jeff, the tears no longer just spilling over but full on flooding. He pressed his hands into his face, wiping his eyes.</p><p>"Hey, hey, don't cry! It's okay! I promise." Jeff reassured softly, gently rubbing his back. </p><p>"Okay... okay..." Ben breathed out. He sniffled before slowly moving his feet off of the bed, careful to avoid the bloodstain. "T-Thank you..." </p><p>"No need to. Just go shower or do whatever it is you need to in order to take care of yourself, alright?" </p><p>"Okay... I-I will." Ben replied. He rose to his feet and stopped once he was off the bed, pausing to place a hand over his stomach. The cramps had not let up and were continuing their horrendous rampage inside of him, causing him to wince. </p><p>"Woah, you okay?" Jeff asked, concerned. Ben nodded slowly.</p><p>"I-I'm fine, it's just... uh....... c-cramps..." He explained, voice dying down to a mumble as he ended the sentence, blushing out of embarrassment. </p><p>"Ah, shit, are they bad?" Jeff responded. </p><p>"Uh... a little... b-but it's nothing I can't handle. Really." Ben answered. He stood up straight once again, pressing a hand into his now consistently throbbing abdomen. "'M gonna shower now." </p><p>"Alright. Lemme know if ya need anything else, alright?" Jeff added. </p><p>"Alright. Thank you."</p><p>☹☻☹☻☹☻☹☻☹☻☹☻☹☻☹☻☹☻☹☻☹ </p><p>"Hey, Jeff?" </p><p>"Yeah?" </p><p>"...Do you think I'm manly?" </p><p>Jeff paused sharpening his knife to look over at the cyber ghost, who was now laying on the couch across from him in a fresh set of pajamas playing Breath of the Wild on his Switch. He gave him a confused look. "Why’re you asking?" </p><p>"It's just..." Ben stopped, pausing his game and setting the Switch down on his chest. "I don't... really feel like a guy sometimes. Especially now. Like... am I at least guy-like? Or am I still super feminine? I hate being feminine but then again I have no control over that especially whenever it’s code red so what's the point in even-!" </p><p>"Ben!" Jeff said, causing Ben to pause mid-word vomit. He looked over at his friend with wide, curious eyes. </p><p>"You are a guy. Alright? Just because you still bleed once a month doesn't mean you're not masculine or manly. It's not your fault you were born with a body that doesn't match your brain! It's okay! You are not a girl. You are a guy. And you will always be a guy, no matter what. If anyone else tries to say otherwise, they're gonna talk to the knife. Okay?" </p><p>Ben smiled at Jeff, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks due to the defense and affection.</p><p>"You don't... actually mean that, do you?" He spoke, hiding his face with his hand. </p><p>"Dude, do you really think I would say it if I didn't mean it? C'mon, you know me by now!" Jeff said, smiling. Ben covered his face with his hand, now a flustered mess because he didn't know how to take compliments from anyone. </p><p>"Hey - look at me." </p><p>Ben stayed put. </p><p>Jeff let out a sigh before setting the knife and sharpener down, scooting closer towards Ben's spot on the couch. Once he was close enough, he ruffled the cyber ghost's hair. Ben removed his hand from his face and giggled, still blushing madly. He playfully batted Jeff's hand away before turning back to his game. As he was doing so, however, the wonderful feeling of someone forcefully grabbing and twisting his organs within him slowly eased into his abdomen, making his smile quickly disappear. Jeff was about to continue his knife sharpening session when he noticed Ben wince. </p><p>"You alright?" Jeff asked.</p><p>Ben waved a hand at him. "I'm fine. Just... they're getting bad again. But I'm okay." He explained. He tried to smile again, but it quickly faded as the painful sensation of what felt like somebody stabbing a hot poker into his abdomen radiated throughout his insides. He cringed and curled in on himself, whimpering slightly. </p><p>"You don't look fine." Jeff pointed out. "Are they always this painful?" </p><p>Ben stayed silent at first, setting his Switch down and wrapping his hands around his knees and pulling them up to his chest. After a pause, he finally nodded. </p><p>"Seriously?!" Jeff said in surprise. Ben nodded again. He grimaced as the pain persisted, curling into an even tighter ball. Jeff frowned at this, scooting slightly closer and running a hand through the blonde's hair. </p><p>"Don't you have, like, painkillers or something you can take for them?" He asked.</p><p>"They don't work." Ben mumbled miserably. </p><p>"What do you mean?" </p><p>"It's because I'm dead. I've tried taking them before, they do absolutely nothing. 'S 'Cause they're meant for the living." Ben explained. He groaned as it got worse, causing a feeling of nausea to settle in. He shifted into a laying position on the couch, wrapping one hand around his abdomen and letting the other hang limply off the side of the couch. It felt like his uterus was being shoved into a paper shredder, the pain overwhelming him greatly. </p><p>"Really? That sucks!" Jeff said. Ben looked up at him, frowning. </p><p>"Ya think?" He said sarcastically. He whimpered and turned his head so he was facing the pillow he had been sitting against, fighting the urge to cry. </p><p>"Is there anything I can do to help or... anything that'll help you at all?" Jeff asked, worry filling his voice.</p><p>Ben started to shake his head, but stopped. He looked up at the killer, eyes pleading.</p><p>"Can you stay?" He asked, his voice trembling.</p><p>"Of course! I'll stay for as long as you want me to, alright?" </p><p>Ben nodded. "Thank you..." His entire body tensed up as yet another wave of searing pain attacked him full force, causing him to groan and bury his face into the pillow once again. He shifted from laying on his stomach to laying on his side, trying to find some sort of comfortable position. His breathing had grown heavier at this point and his body was now covered in cold sweat. He had just woken up not too long ago and was already feeling exhausted all over again.</p><p>"God damn... you seriously have to put up with this shit every month?" Jeff asked.</p><p>Ben nodded again. "And I hate it." He mumbled. </p><p>"Why haven't you ever said anything?" </p><p>"I didn't want you guys to know... plus, it's too embarrassing. I try to isolate myself as much as possible whenever they get like this so no one can know." </p><p>"Ben, holy shit, seriously?! That's awful!" </p><p>"I didn't know how I was supposed you tell you guys! I wasn't ready to yet... plus I was scared you were gonna say something or do something and you wouldn't wanna be by friend anymore." </p><p>"Glitch, your gender doesn’t matter to me. If you're in pain, I wanna be able to help you! Your pain tolerance is usually really high, and for something to be hurting you to the point where you're almost crying - that's gotta be bad! You shouldn't have to suffer through that alone!" </p><p>"I-I just... I don't..." Ben started but paused, seemingly trying to put his thoughts into words. </p><p>"I don't want people to ever see me like this, y'know?" He said in a shaky voice. "I'm too scared." </p><p>Jeff sighed, getting up from the couch and moving so that he was sitting on the coffee table. EJ usually would've yelled at him for that, but he wasn't home and Jeff didn't care. "I think I know what you mean." He said. "Ya don't want anyone to see you hurting 'cause ya don't wanna seem weak or vulnerable around others." </p><p>Ben looked at Jeff, surprised. "How do you know?"</p><p>"'Cause I get the same way." </p><p>"Really?" Ben asked, curious. Jeff nodded. </p><p>"In my head, whenever I got hurt or anything like that, I would rather stay as far away from people as possible than go get help because to me, looking for help or support was considered 'weak.' That or maybe it's 'cause my parents nailed that into my head for so long that I never really stopped believing it, heh." </p><p>"Jeff, that's horrible!" </p><p>"Yeah... but I've been getting better with that. And I hope you do too. 'Cause you deserve it." </p><p>Ben wrapped both arms around his abdomen and squeezed as another wave of cramps hit him. "No I don't." He said softly.</p><p>"Yes you do!" Jeff exclaimed. "Ben, you deserve the fucking world. You are probably one of the best people down here in this hellhole. What ya really don't deserve is to put up with shit like this. With pain like this. You're a really good person, Ben. I mean it."</p><p>Ben fell silent, processing his words. He doesn't actually mean all that, does he? He thought. Then again, he's never usually this nice to me... let alone anyone. </p><p>His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the never ending ache hitting him full force, causing him to tense up and shift once again. </p><p>"Owwww...!" He cried, screwing his eyes shut. He hissed in pain, his eyes beginning to water slightly.</p><p>"Jesus Christ, you sound about as good as ya look." Jeff said, frowning. "You're pale as shit..." </p><p>Ben didn't respond. He couldn't, he was too busy writhing in agony on the couch. He pressed his head into the pillow, letting out a bunch of shaky sobs, unable to hold them in anymore.</p><p>"Hey, hey, don't cry! It's gonna be okay!" Jeff said, his voice becoming softer in comparison to the rough tone he usually spoke in. He gently placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it slightly to provide a sense of comfort. "These'll pass soon. It's okay." </p><p>Ben looked up at him for a brief moment. "I-It just h-hurts so bad, Jeff!" He choked out between sobs. "I-I don't wanna f-feel like this..." </p><p>"I'm sorry, Glitch. Shhh, it'll be over soon, you'll be okay." Jeff reassured.</p><p>Ben whimpered as the pain continued ravaging throughout his abdomen. Now that Jeff was here, he began to wonder how the hell he had been able to tough it out by himself for this long. Just his being here by his side made him feel so much better - emotionally, not physically. But still! Here he thought he would hate others seeing him in such a state, but now that another person was actually here he felt safe. Reassured. Before, he felt as though he was going to crumble to the ground at any minute but Jeff being here was like adding a pillar of support to his falling structure, keeping him together. He was also happy that Jeff wasn’t one of the many guys who acted like periods were the grossest things on the planet and should never ever be spoken about. He then began to feel stupid for avoiding people about this issue for this long - why had he?</p><p>Oh, right - because <i>real</i> men aren't supposed to have periods. At least according to society and his ever-toxic mindset. </p><p>"You sure there's nothing I can do to help? Or even anything I can get for ya?" Jeff asked, snapping him out of his train of thought. </p><p>Ben shook his head. "No, you being here is helping a lot though." He said.</p><p>"Really?"</p><p>Ben nodded.</p><p>"Well, that's good." </p><p>"Mhm." </p><p>Ben grimaced again as yet another wave of burning hot pain grabbed hold of his body, causing him to involuntarily curl up and moan in agony (not sexual, ya nasties). He wanted to shift positions again, but his body felt far too exhausted to even move. He whimpered, burying his head into the pillow once again. </p><p>"I'm sorry for making you be here n' wasting your time..." Ben muttered. </p><p>"Ben, no, you're not wasting my time. I'm here because I wanna be. You're in a shit ton of pain right now, and if me being here is helping ease it even just a little bit, then that's fine by me. Alright?" </p><p>Ben groaned. "Promise?" He asked tiredly. </p><p>"I swear." Jeff replied. He grabbed one of the blankets that was draped over the couch and covered Ben with it, making sure his entire body was concealed. "Ya want me to get you a plushy or something from your room?" </p><p>Ben nodded slowly before grimacing in pain once again, letting out an agony-filled groan. He used one hand to grip onto the blanket that Jeff had covered him in, hand shaking. </p><p>"Hang in there, dude. I'll be back." Jeff said reassuringly. He ran a hand through his friend's hair before making his way upstairs to grab one of the many stuffed animals that were in Ben's side of the room. Less than a minute later, Jeff returned holding a brown stuffed bunny. He handed it to Ben, who instantly wrapped his arms around it. </p><p>"Thank you." He said tiredly. "'M sorry I'm not talking, 'm just really tired." He mumbled. </p><p>"Ben, you are completely fine. You don't need to validate everything, it's okay." Jeff reassured. </p><p>Ben managed to give him a small smile. "Thank you..." </p><p>He winced for the umpteenth time, hugging the rabbit closer towards his body. "I think I'm actually lucky this time around, haha..." He joked. </p><p>Jeff became confused. "What?"</p><p>"Sometimes they get so bad that I have to vomit. They aren't like that this time. Which is good, I can actually somewhat sleep..." Ben said, exhausted. </p><p>Jeff's eyes widened. "Hold on - that can happen?" </p><p>Ben nodded. "'S about as fun as it sounds. I hate it." </p><p>"Jeez, man. You should really start telling me about this shit, that way I can at least help ya somewhat. Even if it's not a whole lot." Jeff said. He began toying with a lock of Ben's hair, wrapping it around his finger and weaving through the strands of hair. </p><p>"I know, but I don't wanna bug you 24/7." Ben replied. "It'd be too time consuming." </p><p>"Okay, here's a question for ya: do you or do you not like me being here riding it out with you right now?" Jeff asked. </p><p>"I do..." Ben mumbled. </p><p>"Is it better than being all by yourself? Be honest." </p><p>"...Yes..." Ben said hesitantly. </p><p>"Well, I don't mind being here at all. So that settles it.” Jeff said matter-of-factly. “You need to tell me when this shit happens and when it gets really bad. I know I can't magically make the pain or dysphoria go away, but I can provide emotional support. Which, according to your answers to my questions, is a million times better than not being there at all." </p><p>Normally this would've been the part where Ben attempted to argue with him, but he didn't. He had nothing to argue against. Jeff was right about all of it. That and he was beyond exhausted from all the pain he was being put through, he didn't have the emotional or physical energy to do anything but listen to his friend. </p><p>"Hmm... okay." Ben mumbled. </p><p>"Seriously?" Jeff said, surprised. "Huh. You must be tired if you didn't even try to argue with me." He joked. </p><p>Ben nodded. He groaned for the hundredth time, whimpering. He just wanted the pain to go away. To die down even just a little bit so he could sleep and not have to worry about anything anymore. He was beyond tired at this point, but his body refused to let him rest as of right now. </p><p>Jeff frowned. "I'm sorry, man. I hope they go away soon." </p><p>Ben hummed, too tired to come up with a proper response. "Hey, can you do something kinda weird for me?" He asked suddenly. </p><p>"Lay it on me." Jeff said.</p><p>"...Can you like... rub my shoulder or my back or something? It felt nice when you were doing that before..." Ben murmured. </p><p>Jeff smiled. "Yeah, dude." </p><p>He gently reached over and placed a hand on the cyber ghost's lower back, slowly rubbing it in a circular motion. Ben smiled, the soothing touch making him feel better already. Even if it was only a little bit. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.</p><p>"I'm assuming by that face that this is helping you a lot?" Jeff asked. Ben muttered an "mhm," not opening his eyes.</p><p>"Good."</p><p>"Thank you so much, Joker." Ben mumbled. </p><p>"It's alright. It's not that big of a deal, man." Jeff replied.</p><p>"I know, but to me it is." Ben said. "You're not grossed out by it like most of the cisgendered guys out there. So thank you. So much." </p><p>Jeff smiled and shook his head. "How many times am I gonna have to fuckin' say it - it's just blood. I’m a wanted murderer, I practically bathe in the stuff every day, let alone seeing it. This ain't any different." </p><p>Ben smiled tiredly. "Thanks..." </p><p>"Ya think you can sleep now?" Jeff asked. </p><p>"Maybe..." </p><p>"Alright. I'll be right here if ya need anything." </p><p>"Mm... thanks..." </p><p>Jeff watched as Ben succumbed into slumber in what appeared to be no time. He felt bad for the kid, he wasn't going to lie. He'd been friends with him for a while and he'd only just recently found out about his identity as a trans man. Like, not even a month ago recently, which was when Ben finally gathered the courage to come out to him. This of course didn't change Jeff's opinion on him or make him think any less of him, but he just felt bad. He didn’t know what it was like to be born in a body that didn’t match your brain. To have to hurt and bleed every month for no good reason. He wanted him to be comfortable with himself. He wanted him to be able to talk to others about the pain he was experiencing instead of hiding it until it went away due to embarrassment or fear of rejection. </p><p>Jeff wasn't too fond of the whole touchy-feely thing, but he still wanted Ben to know that he mattered and that Jeff cared. Even if he usually tried to hide it. He was making an exception this one time, he told himself. </p><p>Just this once. Because pain's a bitch.</p>
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